The Custom of the Country

In this controversial novel, Edith Wharton leveled her most biting critique at the limitations that her society placed upon the ambitious woman. In the novel, Wharton's magnificent anti-heroine, Undine Spragg, ruthlessly sells herself to whatever man she believes can provide her with the success she desires; the character is viciously and precisely rendered by the author. With photographs by Alvin Langdon Coburn and drawings by Charles Dana Gibson, this Collector's Edition evokes the atmosphere of nineteenth-century New York, and brings us closer to the author herself, with letters in her hand and other archival traces of her life from the Library's special collections.

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The New York Public Library Collector's Editions

Favorite masterpieces of world literature illustrated by rare and beautiful materials from the Library's collections and featuring an elegant, distinctive design, with foil-trimmed covers with matching endpapers; compact, easy-to-hold size; and modern, readable type. Each book includes a biography of the author, a short essay about the images and artifacts from the Library used to illustrate the text, and suggestions for further reading.